CARIBBEAT: New statue and film in the works for history-making Caribbean-rooted politician Shirley Chisholm

Shirley
Chisholm, the political trailblazer and daughter of Caribbean
immigrants who died in 2005, is making news — with a plan to erect a New
York City statue in her honor and Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis
picked to portray the history-making Brooklyn politician in a film.

All
the victorious women headed into Washington after winning in last
month’s midterm elections owe some thanks to Chisholm — the first black
woman elected to Congress and the first woman to run for the Democratic
Party’s presidential nomination. She was born in Brooklyn. Her mother
hailed from Barbados and her father was born in colonial British Guiana,
which became the nation of Guyana

“Congresswoman
Shirley Chisholm’s legacy of leadership and activism has paved the way
for thousands of women to seek public office,” city First Lady Chirlane
McCray said, noting that a sculptor will be selected as part of the She
Built NYC project to create more statues of women. The statue will be
erected in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in 2020.

The Associated Press reported that “The Fighting Shirley Chisholm,” starring Davis, will be directed by Maggie Betts for Amazon Studios. The screenplay comes from “Silicon Valley” writer Adam Countee. The Hollywood website Deadline broke the news about the film..